Brian Hsu
Piano
Since his concerto debut at the age of sixteen with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Taiwanese American pianist Brian Hsu has established himself as an artist of great energy and exceptional communicative ability. Critics have praised his performances in superlatives, noting his “breadth of expression and technical ability.”
An experienced and versatile performer, Mr. Hsu has appeared throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and South Africa. In the U.S., his performances have included appearances in Boston, New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Dallas, and many other cities. He has been featured as concerto soloist with ensembles such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Taiwan National Symphony, Juilliard Orchestra, Haddonfield Symphony, Sendai Philharmonic, and University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared as a guest several times on WQXR in New York. His festival appearances include the Amalfi Coast Music Festival (Italy), Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (Michigan), Gijón International Piano Festival (Spain), Eastern Music Festival (North Carolina), Banff Festival of the Arts (Canada), and PianoFest in the Hamptons (New York). His U.S. debut solo recording, Night at the Opera: Part I—featuring opera transcriptions for solo piano—was released in the fall of 2018. In addition to his competition achievements, Mr. Hsu has received numerous awards during his studies at Juilliard, Yale, and the University of Michigan.
Mr. Hsu is frequently engaged as a guest artist, teacher, presenter, and adjudicator for the Music Teachers National Association events and other major competitions, including the New Orleans International Piano Competition and the Nanyang Academy of the Arts in Singapore. He has taught masterclasses and performed at universities and conservatories across the U.S. and Asia. An avid chamber musician and collaborator, he has performed with leading artists worldwide. He participated in the World Premiere of Paul Schoenfeld’s Piano Quintet with members of the Pro Arte Quartet (recorded by Albany Records in 2014) and joined Loyola University New Orleans voice alumni for the debut of Logan Skelton’s Letters to Santa in 2016. In 2019, as a member of Ensemble Peri, he took part in its inaugural tour of Korea. He is also a founding member of Key 2 Inclusion, an intercollegiate initiative promoting piano music by Black American and other underrepresented composers.
Mr. Hsu’s teaching and collaborative experience includes staff accompanist at Yale University and the University of Michigan; staff accompanist and chamber music coach at the Eastern Music Festival; piano faculty at the McAlester Institute (Oklahoma) and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (Michigan); and schedule coordinator, staff pianist, faculty member, and assistant to the director at the Amalfi Coast Music Festival. He has also taught at Siena Heights University and the Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts.
His primary piano teachers include Logan Skelton, Peter Frankl, Jerome Lowenthal, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Wha-Kyung Byun, Da-Ming Zhu, and John Kuo. He has also studied with Paul Schenly, Marc Durand, and Arthur Greene. Mr. Hsu has won prizes in numerous competitions in the U.S. and Asia, including the Wideman Competition, Corpus Christi International Young Artists’ Competition, Juilliard’s Gina Bachauer Competition, and the National Piano Competition in Taiwan. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, an Artist Diploma from Yale University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan.
Mr. Hsu is currently Associate Professor of Piano at the University of Oregon. He previously served as Associate Professor at Loyola University New Orleans. Further information, including his U.S. debut CD and upcoming engagements, is available at www.brian-hsu.com.